When Pretense Becomes Truth
by angelrider93
Summary: Ficlet...When Draco interrupts Hermione destroying their dorm in a fit of temper, he takes it upon himself to help her after finding out the cause.  It's always good when one is owed a favor by Hermione Granger after all DMHG Summary sucks but plz read..
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys.

This is a story that was in my head and i just sat down one day and wrote it. Its not as good as my other work but i just thought that i would post it up anyway. :)

It started off as a oneshot but as it grew i turned it into a ficlet. In the future there may be a sequel to it, but i'm not making any promises, i have alot on my plate not the least of which is 'Its all about Blood' and a couple of others.

Hope you enjoy it somewhat.

**Disclaimer: i own nothing but the plot...everything else belongs to J..**

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><p><strong>When Pretense Becomes Truth.<strong>

**Chapter 1:**

Draco Malfoy was in a good mood. He was Head Boy of Hogwarts, had his own dorm rooms (shared with the Head Girl Hermione Granger, but all pros come with cons, even if they were civil and somewhat friendly now) and he was the most wanted male student, every girl wanted him on their arm, life was good. Smirking smugly he stated the password to the head dorms and strutted in arrogantly, only to be pulled up short at the sight that met his eyes.

"What the fuck is going on?" He shouted. Hermione Granger, the current Head Girl was rampaging around the room throwing and breaking anything that she could find, and from the sight of the room Draco could assume that she had been doing so for quite a while. Hermione seemed not to hear him and he had to duck as a vase came hurtling towards his head.

"Those pompous, stuck up, air headed, vain sluts!" Hermione screamed as she aimed her wand at the bookshelf with a scream of _'Reducto' _and the bookshelf and all the books flew apart.

"Fuck Granger! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Draco swore as he watched the confetti that was once books litter the room. Draco had never seen Hermione in a rage like this, from what he could make out, someone, obviously female, had pissed her off to the point that her temper had snapped.

"Those fucking whores! Who the fuck do they think they are! I'll kill the bitches!" Hermione screamed again, shocking Draco with her language. Seeing that the crystal chandelier was swaying dangerously, Draco did the only thing he could think of to stop the Gryffindor, taking a running dive he tackled her to the floor, knocking her wand out of her hand, he straddled the struggling witch's hips and used his hands to pin her arms on either side of her head.

"MALFOY! Get the bloody hell off me now!" Hermione shrieked as soon as she recognized her attacker.

"Calm the bloody fuck down Granger!" Draco growled, easily subduing her attempts to break free of his hold.

"Get off me!" Hermione hissed menacingly.

"Not until you get control of yourself! Look what you've done to our dorm Granger!" Draco retorted harshly. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him before turning her head to look at the disaster that was once their pristine common room.

"Fuck!" Hermione groaned as she saw the havoc her temper had wreaked.

"My thoughts exactly! Wanna tell me what the fuck this is all about?" Draco responded.

"I don't have to explain myself to you Malfoy!" Hermione snarled.

"Considering that you just destroyed OUR common room with your tantrum, I can assure you that I am the only person who has the right to know what this is all about!" Draco snapped. Hermione realized that he did indeed have the right to know why she had destroyed their rooms.

"Fine! Let me up and I'll tell you!" she conceded angrily. Draco narrowed his eyes at her.

"You try to run, hurt or hex me, or destroy anything else and I'll have you hanging by your ankles before you can blink!" He threatened as he eased himself to his feet and pulled her up with him. Hermione wrenched her wrist from his grasp and went to retrieve her wand. Draco eyed her suspiciously until he saw her wave her wand and fix the room. After that was done Hermione stood silently, though her body language still spoke of her anger. Crossing his arms over his chest Draco narrowed his eyes at her.

"Spill Granger!" He snapped when she remained silent. Hermione threw him a glare but then reached into her pocket and retrieved two pieces of paper. Wordlessly she handed one to him and indicated for him to read it. Draco took the paper and raised an eyebrow at her before dropping his eyes to the paper to read.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Hello sweetheart, your father and I hope you are doing well in school and keeping out of trouble. After the past few years we really don't want to receive any more letters from your headmaster about some dangerous activity that you and those friends of yours have gotten into. Now, I know that you asked us not to lecture you on your grades and such, but your father and I wish to remind you that you have a reputation to maintain now that you are the Head Girl, keep your mind on your grades young lady! That being said I do wish that you would take more pride in your appearance Hermione dear, you only have so much to work with darling so you really should take advantage of what little you have, you do not wish to end up an old maid now do you sweetheart? Your father and I do eventually want grandchildren Hermione and as it stands now, we are beginning to think that that will never come to pass! Now the reason I am writing is because I want you to come home for Christmas this year! I know you want to stay at school with your friends but we have just received word that your cousins Tiffany and Celeste will be coming to spend Christmas with us and I want you to be here to spend some time with them, maybe they will be able to give you some pointers on how to emphasize your looks. A few tips here and there could not hurt darling, hanging around with those boys has obviously rubbed off on you the wrong way, you should try to do more with the few assets that you have, Celeste and Tiffany can help you there. They have written you a letter which I have included with this one, as much as I was dying to read it, I refrained. We will see you at Christmas dear, that is not a request._

_Your loving mother._

Draco was stunned, Hermione's mother seemed to be blind to the fact that her daughter was stunningly beautiful. _'Few assets? What the hell is this woman thinking? Granger has a hell of a lot more than just a 'few' assets' _ Draco thought to himself. He had admitted years ago that Hermione Granger was beautiful, and had admitted to himself not long after that, that he had always fancied her somewhat, it was one of the main reasons that he picked on her all the time, she was gorgeous when she was riled up. Raising his eyes to the silent girl he looked confused.

"I can see why this would make you slightly upset Granger, but I don't understand how this could cause the havoc I walked into earlier" He stated. Hermione scowled at him then handed him the other letter. Draco took it and as he began to read his eyebrows shot up in surprise

_Hey Hermy the Germy!_

_Mum told us that she wants us to stay with your family over Christmas! We tried to coax her out of it! After all neither of us want to stay with you, if we get caught anywhere with you then our reputations would be ruined! Aunty Jane spoke to us and asked us to help you learn how to use makeup and to try to make you somewhat pretty! Ha! What a laugh, of course we told her that we would. I mean but seriously! No amount of makeup could make you pretty Hermy! Being seen with you is going to make the both of us look bad! Like honestly, with our beautiful looks and perfect bodies, we really will have to do a lot to you just to make you look halfway decent so that we won't be embarrassed if we have to be seen with you at all! I don't know why Aunty Jane expects that you will be able to catch the eye of some boy! You'll never get a boyfriend, and if you do it certainly won't be some hot guy like Tiffany and I have! It will be some nerdy little pipsqueak that wears glasses and follows you around inviting you to join the chess club! We certainly don't want to come, but if we must we must! See you soon Germy!_

_Tiff and Celle._

Draco was fuming, those two bitches had no idea how guys saw Hermione, even a self obsessed prat like himself saw the beauty that Hermione had become over the years. Her sense of style needed updating slightly and her hair taming a little but that was all. Determined to help her, but not to explore his reasons for doing so, Draco remained silent as he thought about what options Hermione had. Eventually unable to bare his silence any longer Hermione broke it.

"See why I was pissed?" she asked quietly. Draco nodded.

"Yes I can" He replied thoughtfully. Hermione took his thoughtful look the wrong way and sighed.

"I shouldn't have shown you Malfoy! I know very well that you agree with their assessment of my looks, go ahead and taunt me about how even my family think that I'm nothing but an ugly bookworm" She stated dejectedly. Draco shot his eyes up to meet hers and scowled at her.

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't put thoughts in my head or words in my mouth Granger!" he snapped. Hermione was shocked at his retort and remained silent as Draco's thoughtful look came back to his features. Eventually his eyes lit up and a smirk fell upon his lips.

"What?" Hermione asked hesitantly, fidgeting under his intense gaze.

"How good an actress are you Granger?" Draco asked.

"I don't understand" Hermione replied.

"Simple really, I've come up with a way to get back at those cousins of yours and to get your mother off your back!" Draco replied.

"And what pray tell is this great plan?" Hermione asked sarcastically.

"A boyfriend of course!" Draco replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Hermione's eyes shot up to her hairline.

"A Boyfriend! How is that supposed to help me?" she cried out shocked.

"Picture this then Granger! You rock up home and are there for a few days, then your good looking, hot, rich, perfect boyfriend, who adores the ground you walk on and worships you, who can't keep his hands and lips off you, turns up on your doorstep because he couldn't stand to be away from you any longer! How do you think your cousins are going to react to that?" he replied smugly.

"Shocked! Just like I am!" Hermione replied.

"And?" Draco prompted.

"Jealous, bitter, angry" Hermione added.

"Precisely, it's the perfect way to get back at them for their petty remarks" Draco smirked.

"Your forgetting one thing Malfoy!" Hermione retorted.

"What's that?" he asked.

"I don't have a boyfriend! Let alone one who is all the things that you described!" Hermione replied waspishly.

"I'm aware of that Granger, Hence my question! How good an actress are you?" Draco asked again.

"I..I don't know, why?" She asked warily.

"We'll find you a pretend boyfriend!" Draco stated smugly.

"WHAT!" Hermione shrieked! "You can't be serious Malfoy! How the hell am I supposed to find a guy to pretend to be my boyfriend at all, let alone a good looking, rich one who worships me and can't keep his hands to himself! Christmas break is in a week!" Hermione finished.

"You forgot perfect, adoring and hot" Draco pointed out.

"It doesn't matter Malfoy! There is not a guy I know who would do this, or who fits all the criteria you described" Hermione retorted.

"Sure there is Granger! He's been right in front of you for years!" Draco replied haughtily.

"Who?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"Me of course! Damn Granger, and they call you the smartest witch of the age?" Draco retorted. Hermione was too flabbergasted to speak for a few minutes, before her senses returned.

"Are you fucking crazy Malfoy?" She shrieked. Draco looked affronted for a few moments before a smirk appeared.

"Nope Granger, I'm perfectly serious! I'll pretend to be your boyfriend and help you put your cousins in their place!" He replied calmly.

"You do realize that if you do this then you have to pretend to absolutely adore me! That you will have to touch and kiss me if we go with what you suggested!" Hermione pointed out.

"Of course I realize it Granger! It was my idea after all!" Draco replied.

"And you're actually willing to do that?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Of course I am! I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't!" Draco retorted.

"Why?" Hermione asked softly.

"Why what?" Draco responded

"Why would you do this? You hate me!" Hermione answered.

"Who said that I hate you? If you recall it was my idea to begin a truce and to be civil and friendly!" Draco replied.

"I don't understand Malfoy! Why would you do this for me?" Hermione queried. Draco sighed.

"There are some things that you don't need to understand Granger! But suffice to say that I don't hate you, I don't agree with what your mother and cousins wrote and I do hold respect for you, for those reasons I want to help you! Can we please just leave it at that!" Draco pleaded. Hermione narrowed her eyes but nodded reluctantly.

"For the moment" She responded. Draco groaned, knowing that she would badger it out of him eventually, but was thankful of the reprieve for now.

"Alright then Granger, lets get the particulars sorted out" He stated as he moved to the now repaired couch and sat down.

"The particulars? To what?" Hermione asked as she took a seat opposite him in the chair.

"To this plan obviously!" Draco pointed out in exasperation.

"I never agreed to it Malfoy! Its crazy! It won't work!" Hermione replied, getting agitated again.

"And why do you believe that it won't work Granger? Its perfect!" Draco responded affronted that she would think that any plan of his wouldn't work.

"We know nothing about each other except which buttons to push in a fight for one!" Hermione retorted.

"Your name is Hermione Jean Granger, born September 19th, favorite colour is purple, your wand is made of vine 10¾ inches with a dragon heartstring core. Favorite food is strawberries, favorite scent vanilla, favorite wizarding book is Hogwarts: A History, favorite muggle book is Pride and Prejudice. Your favorite subject is Arithmancy and your favorite teacher is McGonagall. Any other facts you need me to say?" Draco responded in a bored tone. Hermione's eyes had widened in shock as Draco had reeled off the facts about her.

"How do you know so much about me Malfoy?" she asked suspiciously.

"Granger we have known each other since we were eleven and have been sharing a dorm for the past three and a half months, I'm observant, unlike those two dimwits you hang out with! I bet you know the exact same facts about me!" Draco responded.

"Draco Gabriel Lucian Malfoy, June 5th, silver, hawthorn 10 inch unicorn hair, chocolate cake, sandalwood, Slytherin's biography, Lord of the rings, Potions, Snape" Hermione replied automatically. Then flushed at Draco's raised eyebrow.

"Told you so" He stated smugly.

"Alright I see your point!" Hermione sniped.

"Good then you agree?" Draco asked.

"Malfoy as much as I appreciate the offer and I would love to see the looks on my cousin's faces I still don't think that we can pull this off! Nobody is going to believe that someone like you is my boyfriend!" Hermione argued.

"Someone like me?" Draco enquired with a calmly raised eyebrow though his tone sounded perturbed.

"Yes! Good looking, rich etc, etc, all the things you described! Even if you were preaching about yourself, most of what you said was true" Hermione admitted grudgingly.

"And you don't believe that anyone would believe that someone like that is your boyfriend why?" Draco queried.

"Well just look at me!" Hermione stated as she indicated herself.

"I'm looking, but not seeing what you mean Granger!" Draco replied.

"Don't be obtuse Malfoy! I'm nothing to look at!" Hermione shot back angrily.

"Granger! Haven't I already stated that I don't agree with what was written in those letters!" Draco snapped in frustration. "The only thing that I can see you need is for your hair to be tamed and your sense of style to be updated a little! Not over the top mind you, just subtle changes! But you really don't even need that!" he added.

"What will you get out of this?" Hermione suddenly asked suspiciously.

"Apart from relieving any boredom that might come my way over break, I get the satisfaction of knowing that you will owe me one favor, nothing extreme, just a small one!" Draco replied with a grin.

"I knew there had to be a catch to you helping me!" Hermione crowed triumphantly.

"Do you want my help or not Granger? This is a once only offer!" Draco growled, finally getting sick of the round robin they were doing in this conversation. Hermione was silent as she thought about it for a minute.

"You promise that the favor I will owe you will not involve anything against school rules, will not cost me the Head Girl position, be humiliating or degrading, or illegal for that matter?" Hermione asked. Draco nodded.

"Yes I promise"

"Then thankyou" Hermione finally nodded. Draco grinned and sat back comfortably.

"Alright then, now that we have that sorted out, here's what we need to do…" He began. As Hermione listened to Draco outline what they would be doing for the next week and how they would handle the Christmas break, Hermione suddenly wondered what she had let herself in for.

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><p>Well there it is, read and review plz...but again no flames, i'm hard enough on myself as it is :)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Here it is, chapter 2 :)

All the chapters are done so the story is complete :)

usual disclaimer:

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><p><strong>Chapter 2:<strong>

The following weekend found Hermione on the train home for Christmas with her family. She was sitting in a compartment alone since all of her friends were staying at Hogwarts for the holiday. Her mind was going over everything that had happened over the previous week. With Draco's help she had updated her wardrobe with subtle changes, but those changes had made a massive difference in her appearance. Gone were the baggy jumpers and loose jeans. Now she had fitted sweaters, jeans, shirts, tops and a couple of skirts. Boots instead of Mary Janes and sneakers. She had passed off her friends reactions and questions on the changes by telling them an edited version of her cousins letter, they had shut up after that and helped her where necessary. Her cheeks reddened as she remembered the argument she and Draco had had when Draco had handed her a Victoria's Secret catalogue and told her to order several pairs of matching underwear sets as well as negligee's and lingerie.

'_What has my underwear got to do with this?' Hermione demanded angrily._

'_You have a hot boyfriend who can't keep his hands off you Granger! You have to dress like it!' Draco argued._

'_You're not going to see me in my underwear Malfoy!' Hermione hissed._

'_Not the point Granger! Your cousins will, and if you want them to believe the pretense we are trying to portray, then you have to dress for it! Even right down to your choice of underwear! We want them to believe that we are intimate remember!' Draco had retorted in frustration. Hermione had blushed at his implication but nodded reluctantly, knowing that he had a point._

That had not been their only argument during the last week. There had been a bigger one when Draco had casually suggested that they practice kissing and touching.

'_You're fucking crazy Malfoy! There is no way I am practicing that with you!' Hermione shrieked angrily._

'_For fucks sake Granger! How the hell are we supposed to pull this off if you jump like a frightened rabbit every time I touch you! Remember I'm not supposed to be able to keep my hands off you and vice versa!' Draco growled._

'_I do not jump like a frightened rabbit Malfoy!' Hermione hissed. Draco raised his eyebrow and placed his hand on the small of her back. Hermione gasped and jumped three feet away from him._

'_I rest my case Granger!' Draco stated blandly. Hermione blushed as she realized that Draco was right._

'_Alright, I see your point! But no taking advantage of the situation Malfoy or I'll hex your balls off!' Hermione threatened._

'_Just relax would you! You have to become comfortable with touching me as well you know!' Draco pointed out._

'_Nothing below the waist Malfoy!' Hermione snapped._

'_Then this won't work! We're going for uninhibited passion here Granger! You have to be comfortable with me touching your ass, hips, thighs, back, neck etc! I'll refrain from more intimate parts of your body unless needed but we have to make this convincing! If you have trouble with it just picture their faces and you should be fine! Meanwhile you have to be able to touch my chest, back, neck, ass and legs without hesitation or blushing!' Draco retorted in exasperation. Hermione blushed as once again she realized that Draco was right. Had she thought this through then she never would have agreed to his plan, but it was too late to back out now._

'_We have to snog properly don't we?' Hermione asked in resignation. Draco nodded._

'_Yes we do, tongue and all" he replied. Hermione blushed again but nodded in agreement._

'_Alright, but take it slowly Malfoy!' she responded nervously._

The memories of their practice sessions made Hermione feel hot and tingly, who would have known that Draco Malfoy could have been that gentle and patient. Hermione had found herself liking the side of Draco that she had been given a rare glimpse of in the past week. They had become quite close and Hermione had seen a noticeable change in Draco's demeanor towards her. He treated her less like his former enemy and rival, and more like a woman he was attracted too and cared about. She felt her wrist warm and glanced down at the silver bracelet that Draco had given her. He had cast a protean charm on it so they could communicate as to when the best time for him to arrive would be. It was one of the many pieces of jewelry that he had given her despite her protests.

'_Malfoy you have to stop giving me expensive gifts' Hermione protested as she glanced down at the amethyst set he had just presented her with, it consisted of a ring, necklace and dangling earrings. It was gorgeous and tastefully small, though she could tell it was pure and expensive._

'_I'm your rich adoring boyfriend Granger! It's only natural that I buy you expensive gifts, jewelry being one of them! Would you please just stop fighting me at every step!' Draco retorted in exasperation._

'_I just don't think it's fair that you're spending all this money on me Malfoy, I am only your pretend girlfriend after all!' Hermione responded quietly._

'_It's not like I don't have the money to spend Granger!' Draco pointed out._

'_I know that, but you've already bought me a whole new wardrobe, new underwear, makeup, paid a small fortune to have my hair permanently sleekened into natural curls instead of being bushy and now you've bought me several pieces of expensive jewelry' Hermione stated._

'_It's worth it Granger, just trust me on this yeah?' Draco replied. Hermione sighed and nodded._

Glancing down at the bracelet Hermione smiled slightly as she read the message.

'_I'm home and bored already! You there yet Mia?'_

Hermione quickly placed her fingertips on the bracelet and responded to his message.

'_Nearly there, only have about twenty minutes before the train reaches the station, how can you be bored already Dray?'_

Hermione giggled as she recalled the conversation where they had come up with their pet names for each other.

'_Another thing we have to do is to learn to call each other by our first names, or even pet names would be better!' Draco pointed out one evening._

'_That's going to be pretty hard to do Malfoy' Hermione replied._

'_Not really Hermione' Draco responded, making his point by the use of her first name, then he grimaced. 'Certainly is a mouthful though' He added._

'_Yes I know, but I hate the nicknames people turn it into like Hermy and Mione' Hermione sighed. Draco was thoughtful for a moment before he glanced at her._

'_What about Mia?' He asked. Hermione pondered on it for a moment before she smiled brightly._

'_I like that, it's nice, thankyou Draco' she responded, pointedly using his given name._

'_Suits you better too' Draco nodded, smiling at her in acknowledgement of her use of his given name._

'_What about Drake for you?' Hermione asked after a moment. Draco frowned slightly._

'_Blaise calls me that, I don't really like it much, it's too close to that awful name Parkinson calls me' Draco shuddered at the mention of the Slytherin girl that was always dogging his heals. _

'_Drakie? That's what Pansy calls you right?' Hermione asked. Draco grimaced and nodded._

'_Yeah, I hate it! Besides we really need to find a name that only you call me, like I'm the only one that calls you Mia'_

'_How about Dray?' Hermione asked after a moment of thought. Draco thought about it for a moment, turning the name over in his mind._

'_That's pretty good actually, I like it' He stated finally with a genuine smile at her._

Hermione felt her bracelet warm again and glanced down to read the message.

'_Got used to spending time with you, seems boring without you here to argue with me'_

Hermione laughed slightly at the message and sent one back quickly.

'_I'm sure you will find someone to argue with! You're a master at it after all'_

'_That's not a nice thing to say! I'm basically telling you that I miss you and you're picking on me!' _ came the quick reply. Hermione smiled slightly as a blush warmed her cheeks.

'_I miss arguing with you too' _she sent back promptly.

'_Aha! I knew you would fall for my charm eventually!' _came the smug reply. Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes, the train was pulling up to the platform so Hermione quickly sent a final message off to him before standing and retrieving her trunk from the rack above her seat.

'_Arrogant prat! Train at platform, will see you in a couple of days! Don't miss me too much!'_ she smirked as she imagined his reaction to that and happily stepped off the train and through the barrier of platform 9¾. Straightening her black knee length pencil skirt, she checked to make sure that the knee high stiletto heeled boots she wore were zipped properly. To go with the skirt she was wearing a white fitted shirt with a purple fitted cardigan over top, only two buttons on her cardigan were done up just below her bust to accent her cleavage. Shivering at the slight chill of the wind coming through the doors Hermione grabbed the white belted jacket that Draco had insisted on purchasing for her, her amethyst ring glinted on her right hand as she slipped her jacket on and belted it at the waist, relishing in the permanent warming charm that was cast upon it. Turning her head she glanced out the doors of the station, she felt the matching necklace shift against the skin of her throat, and the earrings dangling from her lobes, finally she patted her hair to make sure the silver combs (another gift from Draco) that held the sides away from her face were in place. Once satisfied that she looked as good as she did when Draco had helped her choose her outfit that morning, she stepped out onto the street and looked for her parents car, knowing that they wouldn't come into the station due to her cousins being unaware of her status as a witch. It wouldn't look good if she appeared out of nowhere through a solid brick wall. Hermione spotted her family almost instantly and suppressed a small grin of triumph when they failed to recognize her immediately. Taking the time she studied her two cousins, noticing their stunning blonde looks and perfect figures. Both were dressed in trendy and revealing clothes and were batting eyes at the various cute guys they saw that crossed their path. Feeling a moment of insecurity Hermione quickly touched her bracelet and sent a message to Draco.

'_I don't know if I can pull this off, they look stunning!' _Her bracelet warmed immediately with his reply.

'_So do you! Don't do this to yourself Mia! Be the witch I know you are! The one who destroyed our common room! The one who went toe to toe with me every day in a battle of wits and held her own! Beat them at their own game!' _Hermione smiled at the thought. Draco had worked hard to get her self confidence about her looks to where he thought it should be.

'_Thanks Dray' _Hermione sent back quickly, gathering her courage and her confidence around her Hermione smirked as she realized that she could indeed beat them at their own game.

'_You're welcome Mia! But remember don't mention anything about me! Be mysterious! I want to see their reactions when they realize that you have a boyfriend and a rich gorgeous one at that!' _Hermione rolled her eyes at Draco's brag about himself and sent back a retort.

'_Conceited prat! See you in a couple of days!' _Putting on a bright smile she headed towards her family and found it hard to suppress a self satisfied smirk when their eyes widened and their jaws dropped as recognition finally set in.

"Hermione?" her mother asked in shock.

"Hi mum!" Hermione grinned as she hugged her speechless mother. "Hi daddy!" she smiled as she hugged her equally shocked father.

"Hello sweetheart" her father finally managed as he returned his daughters hug. Inwardly Hermione was laughing at her family's reaction to her new look, she found it hard not to laugh out loud when she turned to face her cousins.

"Hello Tiffany, Celeste" She greeted the twins cordially.

"Hermy?" Tiffany gaped.

"In the flesh!" Hermione replied with a raised eyebrow, giving the outward impression that she couldn't understand their reactions to seeing her.

"What happened to you?" Celeste asked bluntly. Hermione pretended to look confused.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean! Nothing happened to me" Hermione replied, then pretending to shiver she turned to her parents. "Let's head home, it's chilly out here"

"Oh yes of course dear! How was the train ride?" Jane Granger asked her daughter as her husband put Hermione's trunk in the boot of the car.

"Long and boring, but I had a good book to read so the time passed quickly" Hermione replied as the five of them got into the car. Hermione pretended not to hear when Tiffany and Celeste began to whisper between themselves.

"I knew that she was still the same boring old Hermy the Germy!" Tiffany stated snidely.

"Probably reads romances and pretends that the guys in them are her non-existent boyfriend" Celeste replied smugly. Thinking of the look on their faces when Draco showed up Hermione remained silent, giving them no indication that she had heard them.

Tiffany and Celeste's shock at her appearance increased after they reached the Granger's house and Hermione came down the stairs after putting her trunk in her room. She had shed her jacket in her room and after whispering a wandless locking spell on her door, left to meet up with the rest of her family in the living room. If there was one thing that Hermione had always appreciated about her body it was the fact that when puberty had hit she had received a decent bust. Remembering the twins taunts about her flat chest in the years past she hid her smirk when they saw her in the fitted shirt and cardigan she wore. Her attention was drawn away from their shocked stares when her mother suddenly spoke.

"Hermione are those real?" Jane asked her daughter. Confused for a moment due to her train of thought it took a minute to realize her mother wasn't speaking about her breasts.

"Are what real mum?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Your necklace, ring and earrings!" Jane clarified, staring at the gems adorning her daughter's ears, neck and hand. Hermione faked surprise and glanced down at her hand.

"Oh, sorry mum, I didn't know what you were talking about. Yes, they're real" Hermione answered.

"Where did you get real amethysts from?" Jane asked confused. Hermione cocked her head to the side, feigning confusion.

"I got them for Christmas" she replied with a shrug.

"Who would give her jewelry?" Celeste whispered to her sister waspishly. Tiffany smothered a malicious smile.

"She probably bought them herself and is pretending that someone gave them to her" she responded to her twin.

"From Harry?" Jane guessed, thinking of the only one of Hermione's friends that could afford gems like that "Is there something going on between the two of you?" Jane added curiously, a small spark of some unrecognizable emotion in her eyes. Hermione grimaced.

"Eww no mum! Harry is like my brother! There is definitely nothing going on there! He's dating Luna and is completely smitten with her" Hermione replied, purposely not confirming nor denying whether Harry had given her the gems for Christmas. The spark died in her mother's eyes before it grew again.

"What about Ron then?" she asked.

"Mum! No! Ron is with Lavender and is again totally in love! How many times do I have to tell you that there never has been nor will there ever be something between us! Ron and Harry are like my brothers! Nothing more!" Hermione replied exasperated, she seemed to have this conversation with her mother every time she came home from school.

"Harry and Ron?" Tiffany and Celeste asked at the same time.

"My two best friends, remember I told you about them last time you visited" Hermione replied politely.

"Oh yes we remember" Tiffany snickered.

"Figures that she would still have male best friends since she is practically a guy as well" Celeste whispered. Hermione had to admit that that one had hurt, but she forced herself not to react, instead followed Draco's advice and thought of the looks on their faces when he came over.

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><p>on to chapter 3...<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three awaits :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 3:<strong>

Two days later and Hermione was ready to scream in frustration, or, at least commit some form of bodily harm on her cousins. Their malicious and cruel taunts had gotten worse, ranging from how she must be desperate for a boyfriend that she would try to change her looks, to the fact that even if she looked somewhat decent she would still never get a guy to notice her. Her mother had been driving her up the wall as well, with hidden remarks and third degrees on where she had gotten her clothing. Hermione had to smirk when she remembered her cousins reactions to seeing her in a matching set of silver and green lace underwear (She had chosen them on a whim since Draco had paid for them). She had been standing in the bathroom when they had burst in, giggling about some text messages they had received on their phones from their boyfriends. Both had stopped and stared as they saw Hermione standing in nothing but her underwear about to pull a pair of jeans on. Tiffany had promptly asked if she was wearing Victoria's Secret, when she had confirmed it, they had looked at each other and left the room without another word. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and Hermione was beginning to wonder whether Draco had decided not to go through with the plan. They talked every night through their bracelets but Draco had not mentioned coming over and Hermione didn't want to push him if he was having second thoughts. She was just thinking about the Christmas present she had bought him when her bracelet warmed, indicating a message from Draco.

'_All set for tomorrow Mia?' _ Hermione crinkled her brow, wondering what he was talking about.

'_Tomorrow?'_ She sent back.

'_My big entrance of course! I'm coming over tomorrow!' _Came his quick reply.

'_Yes I'm ready! More than ready actually after the way my cousins have been acting today'_ Hermione replied.

'_That bad?' _Draco asked.

'_The worst that they have ever been! I think the taunts and insults are worse now than before!' _ Hermione answered.

'_It's because they're jealous Mia. You look gorgeous and they know it, they're trying to bring you down. Don't let them!' _Draco responded. Hermione felt her heart flutter at Draco's words. Throughout this whole scheme he had never once called her gorgeous, it sent her self confidence flying high. Not wanting to cause him to clam up if she commented on it she sent something back, changing the subject.

'_Thanks Dray, so how are we going to do this tomorrow?' _was her reply.

'_You know your family so I'll follow your lead. Do whatever you want to do and I'll follow! Don't be shy about what you want to happen, put yourself in the moment and trust me to back you up ok!' _Draco replied. Hermione knew that he was telling her that no matter how she chose to greet him that he would follow her lead.

'_No matter what I choose to do?' _She clarified.

'_Of course! I'm always up for anything! You know that Mia!' _ came his quick response. Hermione rolled her eyes, imagining his arrogant smirk.

'_Stop smirking you bloody prat!' _she shot back.

'_How in bloody Merlin did you know that I was smirking woman?' _Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes at his reply.

'_Because I know you too well Draco Malfoy!' _she sent back.

'_Don't roll your eyes at me Hermione Granger!...See I know you as well Mia!' _came his arrogant reply. Hermione sighed. Trust Draco to assume that he was right even before clarification.

'_It's late Mia. Get some sleep, you'll need it for our big performance tomorrow!' _came another message before she could think of a retort.

'_How are you getting here? You can't apparate or use the floo, and you don't have my address!' _Hermione suddenly thought to ask.

'_I have my ways Mia, trust me, I'll see you tomorrow' _Draco replied.

'_Alright Dray, I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight' _Hermione sent back.

'_Sweet dreams Mia'_ came his response.

The following morning found Hermione subjected to more and more insults and taunts from her cousins due to the fact that her parents had decided to head to the mall for some last minute shopping. Sitting on the couch Hermione was pretending to be engrossed in a book while her cousins were on the window seat staring out at the people who walked past and making comments about them as they did so, as well as regularly throwing taunts in her direction. Glancing at the clock, Hermione noticed that it was nearing ten and she was beginning to wonder what time Draco would arrive. Due to the viciousness of the twins taunts today Hermione had a fair idea of what type of greeting she would give Draco, for that reason she had dressed in her skinny jeans and black flat soled boots that reached ¾ of the way up her calf, she wanted to be sure footed, a fitted, v neck, emerald green ¾ sleeve top and white puffer vest completed her outfit. She wore her hair up at the sides out of her face with the silver combs and simple silver hoop earrings hung from her ears.

"Whoa that is one hot car!" Tiffany's whistle broke Hermione out of her musings. Glancing up Hermione smirked at the wide eyed looks on the two blonde's faces.

"Holy shit! Forget about the car! Check out the honey that just got out of it!" Celeste stated.

"Oh my god! That guy is the hottest thing I have ever seen!" Tiffany agreed.

"He's coming up the path! He must be lost, lets offer to show him the way to wherever he's looking for!" Celeste giggled as she and her twin jumped off the window seat and rushed to the door. Hermione had a fair idea who the guy was that they were talking about, but putting her best acting face on, she pretended to glance out the window curiously. She took a second to take in Draco as he strolled up the path to her front door. He looked good in muggle clothes she decided, he was wearing dark blue straight cut jeans that hugged his rear and thighs nicely and black lace up hiking style boots encased his feet. On the top half he wore a light grey turtleneck with a black hooded jacket that was unzipped and his hands were in the pockets, his hair was ungelled in the style he now preferred and fell in bangs over his silver eyes. In the three seconds it took Hermione to peruse Draco, her cousins had made it to the front door and had swung it wide open. Faking a gasp of surprise, Hermione spun on her toes and rushed towards the door, pushing past her astonished cousins she shoved them into the door frame as she burst out the door and ran towards the blonde walking down the path.

"DRACO!" she shouted as she barreled towards him, glad for her foresight in wearing the flat soled boots with a non slip charm on them. Draco looked up as he heard her call his name and with a huge smile he waited for her to reach him. Hermione ran straight up to him and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, she felt his hands on her rear as he caught and steadied her. Not giving him a chance to say anything she plowed her fingers through his hair and crashed her lips down on his in a passionate open mouthed kiss which he returned enthusiastically. Eventually pulling away from the kiss Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Draco's arms came around her back as he held her body close to his, he buried his face in her neck and took a moment to take in the two speechless blondes standing in the doorway.

"Mia I think you need glasses! Because if those two slack jawed idiots standing on the porch are your cousins, they are not that pretty let alone stunning!" he whispered in amusement. He heard her laugh slightly before he pulled back and continuing with the show they were putting on, he caressed her cheek with one hand.

"Hey baby" he said, loud enough for his voice to carry to the twins ears. Hermione smiled brightly at him.

"Hey yourself! What are you doing here Dray?" she asked, going with the idea that it was a surprise visit.

"Couldn't stand being away from you for another day, I missed you too much Mia!" Draco replied, following her lead.

"I missed you too! Come on let's get in out of this cold " Hermione replied, placing a sweet kiss on his lips before she unwound her legs from his waist and slid to the ground. Draco immediately wrapped an arm around her waist and placed his hand in her back pocket, following his example Hermione did the same as they made their way up the path towards where Tiffany and Celeste were still standing on the porch, their mouths hanging open in shock. As they reached the two blondes Hermione turned to them.

"You might want to shut your mouths before a fly decides to land in there" she commented lazily. Draco hid his smirk at Hermione's comment then followed her into the house. Hermione led him to the couch and indicated that he should sit down, when he did so, she quickly placed herself comfortably in his lap and snuggled into his neck as Draco wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm glad you took my advice last night" he whispered in her ear for only her to hear. Hermione winked at him but turned her head when the twins stormed into the room with jealous looks upon their faces. Their voices when they spoke however were obviously meant to be flirty, pity it was wasted, as Draco thought that they sounded constipated, a fact he whispered in Hermione's ear causing her to giggle.

"Hermy aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" Tiffany asked breathily.

"Yes Hermy, its very rude not to introduce your guest" Celeste added in what was obviously an attempt at a husky voice.

"Oh my, how terribly remiss of me I do apologise!" Hermione retorted sarcastically causing Draco to chuckle lowly. "Tiffany, Celeste this is my boyfriend Draco. Draco these are my cousins Tiffany and Celeste" Hermione added with narrowed eyes.

"Hello" Draco acknowledged them with a slight nod before he turned his attention to kissing Hermione's neck causing her to giggle.

"Boyfriend!" Tiffany and Celeste cried in shock.

"Yes" Hermione answered shortly before turning to Draco. "Do you want a hot drink babe?" she asked him softly, noticing his eyes turn molten silver when she called him babe. Draco nodded.

"Yes please baby" he replied. Hermione smiled and stood up, Draco was instantly on his feet at her side, taking her hand and interlacing their fingers he followed her into the kitchen, very much aware of Tiffany and Celeste following them discretely to stare at him. Leaning down he whispered in her ear. "I feel like they're the vultures circling a dying man and I'm the prey! It's like having two Parkinson's following me" Hermione laughed but didn't reply as she set about making them both a coffee. Five minutes later they were both seated at the kitchen table drinking their coffee and talking, their hands were interwoven and sitting on the table, and occasionally Draco would lift them and press a kiss to her knuckles. They were both aware of the twin's gazes fastened on them, watching their interactions with eagle eyes.

"Where are your parents? I was hoping to meet them today" Draco suddenly spoke, raising his voice to normal tone so that the twins could hear him.

"They went to the mall for some last minute shopping, they should be home soon. Can you stay long?" Hermione replied. Smiling Draco leaned over and pressed a light kiss on her lips.

"I can stay as long as you like baby, I'm all yours you know that" he responded. Hermione smiled.

"I know, just like I'm yours Dray" she replied, seeing a flash of something in his eyes as she did so. Hearing this, the twins decided that they had had enough of Hermione hogging the hot guy's attention and strutted into the room.

"So Draco, how did you meet our Hermy?" Tiffany asked breathily.

"Mia and I go to school together" Draco replied, glancing at her before returning his attention to Hermione with a smile.

"Oh, do you share a couple of classes?" Celeste flirted.

"We share all our classes and a dorm" Draco responded with barely a look in her direction.

"A dorm?" the twins gasped in shock, their minds alive with the implications of that statement.

"Yes, as Head Boy and Head Girl we share the Heads dorms" Draco explained, glancing at them with a condescending look, he turned to Hermione with a raised eyebrow, wondering if the two of them had been dropped on their heads as infants.

"You're Head Boy?" Tiffany asked, shocked that this hot guy was not only Hermione's boyfriend but also Head Boy. They knew from their Aunt's explanation that the top students were chosen as the Heads and had thought that the Head Boy would be some nerdy geek.

"Of course, I'm the top male student in the school and my grades are second only to Mia's, though only by a few points" Draco replied as if the answer was obvious. Hermione meanwhile was struggling to contain her laughter at the looks on her cousin's faces. Quickly changing the subject to save face, Celeste addressed Draco again.

"So is that your car or did you borrow it?" she asked, leaning over the table and trying to get Draco to glimpse at her cleavage in her low cut top. Draco didn't even glance in her direction, his eyes remained firmly on Hermione's face as he replied.

"It's mine, my parents gave it to me for an early Christmas present" he answered with a shrug. Hermione glanced at him slightly and Draco mouthed 'mum' to her. Hermione nodded in understanding. The twins took his hint and their eyes widened as they realized that he was in fact from a wealthy family.

"So where do you live?" Tiffany asked sitting on the table and leaning towards him. Draco noticeably shifted away before answering.

"In my family's manor in Wiltshire" He responded, he shot a look at Hermione that clearly stated 'Are they for real?' Catching his message Hermione rolled her eyes and nodded. She was beginning to get angry at their obvious flirting with Draco. Celeste opened her mouth to ask another question but was interrupted when they heard the front door open.

"Hermione dear, who's car is that parked outside our…" Jane Granger trailed off at the sight of the young man who followed her daughter out of the kitchen. Her eyes quickly locked onto their joined hands before they raised and rested in shock on his handsome face. Her husband stood behind her, laden with shopping bags and staring at the stranger in his home holding hands with his daughter.

"Mum, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend Draco Malfoy, Draco, this is my mum Jane" Hermione introduced them. Draco stepped forwards and taking Jane's hand kissed her knuckles.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs Granger"

"Er, likewise Draco" Jane stammered. Hermione then turned to her father.

"And this is my dad Henry" Draco stepped forwards and shook Henry's hand.

"Hello Sir, would you like some help with those bags?" he asked.

"What?" Henry asked, then came to his senses. "Oh yes please, we can just leave them by the stairs for now" he added as Draco relieved him of several of the bags and placed them where he had indicated. "Thankyou" he finished when all the bags were placed there.

"You're welcome sir" Draco replied with a smile.

"So what brings you here Draco?" Jane asked, regaining her ability to speak as they moved into the living room and sat down. Henry and Jane instantly noticed how Hermione curled into Draco's side, her hand resting lightly on his thigh, while his arm was wrapped around her shoulders, his hand resting comfortably on her hip.

"I was missing Mia too much, so decided to come and visit her, I also wanted to meet the two of you" Draco replied politely with a small smile at Hermione.

"Mia?" Jane asked, never having heard that name before.

"It's his pet name for me" Hermione explained. Suddenly Henry's eyes narrowed.

"Did you say Draco Malfoy?" he addressed his daughter. Hermione groaned, knowing where this was heading.

"Yes sir" Draco answered without batting an eye, he knew where this conversation was about to lead as well and had an answer ready.

"Not the same one who teased and picked on Hermione since she started at that school?" Henry demanded. Draco nodded.

"Unfortunately yes sir, though in my defense I was an idiot in my younger years, luckily maturity kicked in before school started this year and I was able to redeem myself in Mia's eyes" he replied. Henry's eyes narrowed for a moment as he studied Draco as if trying to gage his sincerity, he must have been satisfied because he nodded in understanding.

"Yes it does tend to happen to all of us males" he stated knowingly. Draco nodded in agreement, seeing the look in Henry Granger's eyes when he looked at his daughter, Draco knew that he did not share his wife's opinion about her looks.

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><p>Now for the fourth and final chapter :)<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Here is the last chapter:

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><p><strong>Chapter 4:<strong>

An hour later and they were all still seated in the living room chatting. Draco looked relaxed and easy going, but inside his anger was building. During the past hour he had heard and logged several veiled insults from both of her cousins, as well as quite a few subtle comments from her mother. Hermione, feeling his tension rubbed his thigh gently to calm him, but she too was beginning to get sick of the twin's insults and was starting to feel her mother's comments take root under her skin. It was Jane Granger's next words that caused Draco to finally let some of his anger show.

"Forgive me for being blunt Draco, but may I ask why you're dating my daughter?" the sharp intake of breath from Hermione distracted Draco for a moment and he also saw Henry narrow his eyes at his wife before he turned his attention back to Jane.

"I'm sorry Mrs Granger but I'm not sure that I understand what you mean" he politely replied. One look at his face and Hermione knew that Draco was very much aware of what her mother was implying, it was the same thing that the twins had been saying, yet hiding well behind comments.

"I mean why would someone like you be dating my daughter?" Jane clarified. Her husband's shocked "Jane!" didn't deter her either as she stared resolutely at Draco.

"I'm sorry Mrs Granger but I believe that that question was uncalled for" Draco responded calmly, though Hermione heard the steel behind the calm.

"I don't believe it was! I want to know why someone like you is with someone like Hermione! Are you planning on taking advantage of her?" Jane demanded. Hermione sucked in a sharp breath at the pain that shot through her chest at her mother's words.

"Mum how could you even think such a thing? Let alone ask it!" she gasped as tears began to form in her amber eyes. Rising to his feet Draco let his anger at Hermione's mother show in his eyes. He said not say a word to her though, instead he turned and drew Hermione to her feet and into his arms. He comforted her for a moment before pulling back and using his thumb to wipe the tears that had fallen.

"Mia love, go pack your trunk, I'm not leaving you here to deal with this at Christmas, I'll take you to the manor to stay with me" he whispered to the upset girl in his arms.

"But Dray…" Hermione began, shocked at his suggestion, but Draco cut her off.

"Just trust me on this yeah?" he asked, Hermione stared into his eyes and seeing the caring in them nodded her head slowly. "Thankyou, now go pack your trunk baby, I'll wait here for you" he instructed softly. Hermione pulled out of his embrace and made her way up the stairs. As soon as Hermione was out of sight he turned furious grey eyes on her mother.

"Mrs Granger I apologise for what I'm about to say, and I know that it is not really my place to do so, but somebody has to and it's about time that someone did!" he began.

"I beg your pardon?" Jane asked shocked at the furious tone Draco spoke in.

"It's obvious that you love your daughter very much, but love can do some serious damage to someone's self esteem when its tempered with condescending and patronization! I wonder if when you look at your daughter, you actually really look!"

"How dare you! What on earth are you trying to say?" Jane demanded angrily.

"Jane, I believe that Draco is trying to tell you the same thing that I have for years! You obviously don't see Hermione the way that I see her, or, more to the point, the way Draco sees her!" Henry answered before Draco could, he had seen the look in Draco's eyes when he looked at Hermione and was impressed that the young man cared enough to stand up for her. Draco turned astonished eyes towards Hermione's father and was shocked when he saw understanding and encouragement, as well as a healthy dose of admiration and acceptance in their dark depths. Turning back to Jane, Draco felt his anger increase at her disbelieving expression, she truly didn't see that her daughter was beautiful.

"I spent six years trying to win Mia! And I'll be damned if I lose her now because what you say beats at her self confidence until she gets to the point where she wonders why I'm with her, or if she's good enough for me!" Draco stated angrily.

"I certainly do no such thing!" Jane protested indignantly.

"Yes you do! And the strange thing is that you don't even realize that you're doing it! I was there when Mia got the letter from you informing her that she had to come for Christmas and it took me days to convince her that what you had written in that letter was untrue! Obviously when you look at your daughter all you see is a brainy bookworm who is a bit of a plain Jane! Well I'm telling you now that that's sure as hell not what I see when I look at her!" Draco growled. He knew that he was overstepping his bounds but couldn't help it, he was so angry at the callous treatment that Hermione had received from the female members of her family. Glancing at her father again he noticed that there was no anger on Henry's face, in fact it appeared as if he was glad that someone was finally standing up for his daughter and saying everything that he had been saying for years but was never heard.

"Well I can certainly guess what someone like you see's when they look at my daughter!" Jane replied haughtily.

"Someone like me?" Draco asked, his voice deadly.

"Yes a handsome, wealthy young man who could have any woman he wanted! It's easy to see why you would be interested in someone like Hermione" Jane responded.

"Are you implying that I'm leading Mia on because she's desperate for attention so will succumb to my advances easily, making her an easy conquest?" Draco hissed furiously.

"If the shoe fits! Hermione certainly isn't the type of girl that a man like you would be interested in long term" Jane replied. Draco's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I can't believe you just said that about your own daughter! When I look at your daughter all I see is a beautiful young woman who is intelligent, caring, independent, loyal, honest, compassionate and trustworthy, and I damn sure feel privileged that she's allowed me to share a piece of her life!" Draco snapped, his temper boiling. Jane was shocked that Draco had called her daughter beautiful.

"I think he needs glasses!" Tiffany snorted in a whisper to her sister. Draco heard and turned his anger on the two of them.

"Funny! That was exactly what I told Mia she needed when I saw the two of you! She kept going on and on about how pretty the two of you are, but I just don't see it, all I see is two petty, jealous girls who continuously put their cousin down to make them feel better about themselves! You have no idea how many guys at school think Hermione is beautiful! My two best friends are jealous as hell that I managed to win her affections!" Draco retorted, knowing that if Blaise and Theo knew about this, then they would indeed be jealous, they both thought that Hermione was gorgeous. Turning back to Jane, Draco narrowed his eyes at her expression.

"Mrs Granger are you aware that your nieces call your daughter Hermy the Germy? That the letter you sent to her that was from them was full of nothing but vicious taunts and cruel insults?" he asked.

"You read it?" Celeste gasped in horror.

"Of course I read it! I wanted to know what had caused Mia to turn our common room into a disaster zone , and for her to be screaming obscenities the like of which she never speaks!" Draco retorted.

"What?" Jane gasped, casting a disbelieving gasp at her nieces.

"It's not true Aunty Jane! He's lying" Tiffany stated.

"Oh its true mum!" Hermione snapped as she came down the stairs. Hearing Draco defending her had erased the hurt and opened the door to the temper she was famous for at Hogwarts. Draco turned towards her and smirked as he saw the familiar amber fire in her eyes.

"Ah! There's the Mia I know and love!" he stated cheekily with a wink. Hermione shot him a look but ruined it with a grin as she turned to her cousins.

"For the last three days all the two of you have done is tell me how ugly I am, or how I must be desperate for a boyfriend! But I shouldn't have been surprised! The two of you have been doing that since you discovered boys!" Hermione snapped, then she turned to her mother. "Meanwhile you carry on about how you're worried that you will never get grandchildren because I don't know how to make use of the 'few' assets that I have at my disposal" she added. Jane flushed as the words that she had written in her letter came back to haunt her, they sounded harsh and uncaring when repeated back to her. Turning to Draco, Hermione smiled at him. "Dray my trunk is in my room, could you please get it for me?"

"Sure thing love" Draco answered as he dropped a light kiss on her lips before heading up the stairs. Ignoring her mother and cousins for the moment, Hermione moved to where her father was standing and wrapped him in a hug.

"Sorry daddy, but I have to go, if I stay here with the twins any longer I'm going to do physical harm to them" she stated, seeing the two of them blanch at her words. "Or reveal that I'm a witch and hex the life out of them" she added in a whisper for her father's ears only. Henry chuckled in mirth at her words.

"It's alright sweetheart, there's no reason to be sorry. And I'm pleased as punch that you have found a man like Draco, one who is willing to stand up and defend you, even if it's against members of your own family. He's definitely a keeper" Henry answered, whispering the last part in her ear.

"I know daddy" Hermione replied softly, wondering how much longer she would actually have the Draco she had grown to love. And yes she loved him, over the course of the last week, she had slowly been falling in love with the Slytherin prince, and hearing him defend her against her family today had cemented her fall. Hermione Granger was in love with Draco Malfoy and had no idea of what to do about it. Draco returned, carrying her trunk down the stairs, he took it straight outside and placed it in the boot of his car before returning to the house.

"All set Mia?" he asked as he made his way to her side.

"Yes, I'm ready to go" Hermione replied as Draco took her hand in his.

"Let's go then baby, it's a bit of a drive to Wiltshire" Draco responded.

"Merry Christmas" Hermione stated to her family, still too angry and hurt at her mother to even hug her goodbye. "Bye daddy" she smiled at her father, who returned it before sending an approving smile to Draco.

Draco led Hermione out of her parents house and down the path to his car, he opened the door and helped her settle into the low seats of the black sports car before moving around to the drivers side and hopping in himself. They had been driving in silence for a couple of minutes before Hermione broke the silence.

"Where did you get this car?" she asked feeling awkward.

"Mum gave it to me last year for Christmas, my family has always owned cars, it was one of the few muggle things my father approved of and actually used" Draco replied easily. Hermione was shocked.

"Lucius drove?" she asked, referring to Draco's late father. Draco chuckled slightly at her surprise.

"Yes father drove, he liked the speed, so his car had the same charm as the knight bus on it! Scared the fuck out of me whenever I was in the car with him" Draco answered candidly.

"How did you find my house?" Hermione asked steering the conversation away from the tender subject of Draco's father. Draco smirked and tapped a screen that was built into the dash. Hermione leaned forwards and looked closer 'Auto-Owl' was printed at the top of the screen. "How does that work?" she asked eagerly.

"Same as owl post, I just type in your name and it tells me how to find you" Draco grinned. Hermione nodded, but her mind returned to the scene that had happened in her parents' house.

"Thankyou Draco" she stated quietly. Draco glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"You're welcome Mia" he replied. Hermione fidgeted with the hem of her vest for a moment before turning her attention to Draco.

"So what happens now?" she asked.

"We go home to the Manor and spend Christmas with my mother" Draco answered as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. Having met Narcissa and become friendly with her on the few occasions that the elder woman had come to see her son at Hogwarts, Hermione was not worried about that part, her worries stemmed from a different direction.

"That's not what I meant Dray" she whispered.

"Then what did you mean Mia?" Draco asked curiously.

"Your plan has been completed, so where do we go from here?" Hermione asked. Draco glanced at her before swiftly pulling the car to the side of the road, turning to face her as soon as he had stopped the engine. Hermione was looking at him warily but Draco could see the nearly hidden emotion in her eyes, it gave him the courage to continue his train of thought.

"I call in my favor Mia" he replied with a small smirk. Hermione's eyes narrowed and disappointment flashed in her eyes before anger replaced it.

"Your favor? Is that all you care about now that your plan was successful?" she snapped. Draco remained calm in the face of her rising fury.

"Of course! The favor I want you to do means a lot to me!" he responded.

"Oh really? Well what is this almighty favor you want me to perform?" Hermione hissed furiously.

"I want you to turn the pretense into truth Mia" Draco replied softly. Hermione opened her mouth to fire back an angry retort but stopped dead, the anger in her eyes disappeared to be replaced with confusion and a small spark of hope.

"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend Draco? For real this time?" she asked hesitantly. Draco smirked at her.

"I knew there had to be a reason they called you the smartest witch of the age" he teased.

"Bloody prat!" Hermione growled.

"I'm serious you know, but this will be a long term thing! I meant what I said to your mother, it took me six years to realize what was right in front of me and to finally attempt to catch you, I'll be damned if I lose the chance to keep you all to myself from now on" he stated sincerely. A bright smile grew on Hermione's face and she finally allowed the love she felt to show in her eyes. Draco sucked in a gasp as he saw the depth of her feelings revealed and for the first time in his life he felt truly blessed.

"We're going to fight a lot you know" Hermione pointed out.

"Oh I know, but then we'll get to make up! I'll probably pick fights on purpose just so I get to make up with you again" Draco replied a smug smirk on his features.

"If I forgive you!" Hermione retorted. Draco grinned as he got the meaning of their conversation.

"Is that a yes?" he asked eagerly. Hermione nodded.

"It's as much of a yes as I'm going to give you, we don't need your ego bigger than it is now so I won't be throwing myself in your arms and showering you with kisses as I repeat my answer repeatedly" Hermione retorted, grimacing at the mental image her reply painted in her mind. Draco didn't reply, instead her wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in for a deep kiss. When the kiss ended Draco rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you, you know" he stated more than declared.

"I love you too! Now let's go see your mother" Hermione replied. She didn't need the big declaration or the sweet romantic overtures that most girls expected when they received a declaration of love from the man of their dreams. She was a practical and logical witch by nature and she indeed knew that what she and Draco shared was just as intense as all the other couples in love that she had witnessed. Mentally she thanked her cousins for being the way they were, if it wasn't for them she never would have fallen in love with Draco.

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><p>There you go :)Sucky ending i know, but i purposely left it open for a possible future sequel...hope you enjoyed it anyway<p>

Now its time for me to get back to the next chapter of 'Its All About Blood'...


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